1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an analyzing system and a control method thereof. The analyzing system includes a plurality of units, a condition setting device and a control device. The plurality of units are for operating to analyze a sample. The condition setting device is for setting a condition regarding operations of the plurality of units. The control device is capable of performing transmission/reception of data with the plurality of units and the condition setting device. The control device is for controlling the plurality of units according to the condition set by the condition setting device.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, according to a certain analyzing device such as a liquid chromatograph, sections of the analyzing device are unitized on a per-function basis, and the operation of each unit is controlled by a control device. With this type of analyzing device, it is possible to connect a condition setting device configured from a computer, for example, to the control device, and to thereby configure an analyzing system where the control device controls each unit according to a condition set by using the condition setting device (for example, see JP-A-2011-185794).
According to such an analyzing system, a plurality of units that operate to analyze a sample, such as a liquid delivery unit, an autosampler, a column oven, a detector and the like, are controlled by one control device according to a condition set by using the condition setting device. Software for setting a condition regarding the operation of each unit, for example, is installed on the condition setting device, and data of a condition set by using the software is transmitted to the control device.
With the analyzing system capable of setting a condition regarding the operation of each unit using the condition setting device as described above, the condition setting device may be installed at a location away from the location where the analyzing device is installed (for example, a laboratory), and a condition regarding the operation of each unit may be set by remote operation.
Some of the analyzing systems as described above have an operation section provided to each unit, and a condition regarding the operation of each unit may be set by operating the operation section. In this case, a discrepancy may arise between the condition set by using the condition setting device and the condition set by using the operation section of each unit, and analysis may be performed under a condition not intended by a user. This may result in various negative effects, such as not being able to obtain an accurate analysis result, an error occurring on software, and the like.
Also, in a case of a configuration allowing transmission/reception of data between a plurality of condition setting devices and a control device, normally, when one of the condition setting devices is transmitting data to the control device, transmission of data from other condition setting devices to the control device is restricted. In this case, there are problems that the control device cannot identify with which condition setting device transmission/reception of data is being performed, and also, that other condition setting devices cannot identify which condition setting device is transmitting data to the control device.
Thus, the relationship of the devices performing transmission/reception of data cannot be clearly grasped without performing, at the condition setting device transmitting data to the control device, an operation of checking the contents displayed on a display section, for example, and this checking operation is burdensome. Particularly, in a case where the condition setting device is installed at a location away from the location where the analyzing device is installed (for example, a laboratory), there is a problem that a user performing the analysis operation at the analyzing device cannot easily perform the checking operation as described above.